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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. mine — for digging
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. land — a country
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. cap — a lid
  9. branch — a division
  10. rest — what's left
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. rest — what's left
  13. cap — a hat
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. rock — a stone
  16. cell — in biology
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. land — to come down
  19. rest — a break
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. cell — a phone
  22. rock — music
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. land — ground

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com